332 Greek and Cypriot recipes · Every dish with its Greek nameCyprus · Crete · The Cyclades · Epirus · The Peloponnese · The Mainland · Asia Minor
Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Dairy and Cheese

Butter

Βούτυρο · Voutyro

Melted butter for brushing phyllo pastry in Greek baking
Advertisement

Butter occupies a much narrower part of Greek cooking than olive oil does, and where it turns up the choice is deliberate rather than casual. Traditional Greek and Cypriot butter was made from sheep or goat milk, whiter, tangier and more crumbly than cow's butter, and that flavour is what kourabiedes and the other festive biscuits were built around long before cow's butter became the default.

Its main work is in baking and pastry. Melted or clarified butter is brushed between the phyllo sheets of galaktoboureko and the pies of northern Greece, it enriches the bechamel over moussaka and pastitsio, and it carries koulourakia and kourabiedes. Clarifying it, by melting it gently and pouring off the milk solids, gives a cleaner flavour and keeps the pastry from catching and browning too fast.

Butter is also what marks a dish as non-fasting. Through Lent and the other Orthodox fasts it is out, and the olive-oil version of a pie or a biscuit exists for that reason rather than as a health choice. Unsalted butter is the sensible default for baking, since salted butter varies a great deal between brands and can make a syrup-soaked sweet taste faintly savoury.

Recipes with butter

44 recipes on the site use it. Here are 36 of them.

A tray of Greek moussaka with a browned bechamel top, one square lifted outMoussakaMousakas ΜουσακάςMain Courses · 1h 55m · serves 8A tray of spanakopita cut into squares showing green spinach filling under crisp golden phylloSpanakopitaSpanakopita ΣπανακόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 8A slice of pastitsio showing distinct layers of pasta, meat sauce and golden bechamelPastitsioPastitsio ΠαστίτσιοMain Courses · 1h 40m · serves 8Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a cloveBaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24A dish of baked giant beans in a rich orange tomato sauce with parsley and olive oilBaked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6A square of galaktoboureko showing thick yellow custard between crisp golden phylloGalaktobourekoGalaktoboureko ΓαλακτομπούρεκοDesserts · 1h 30m · serves 12Thin slices of veal in a pale garlic and parsley sauce with rice alongsideVeal in Garlic and Vinegar SauceSofrito ΣοφρίτοMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 4A square of Greek cheese pie with crisp layered phyllo and a pale creamy fillingTiropitaTiropita ΤυρόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 15m · serves 8Squares of bougatsa custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamonBougatsaBougatsa ΜπουγάτσαBreakfast Recipes · 1h 10m · serves 8Greek kourabiedes cookies buried under thick icing sugar on a plateKourabiedesKourabiedes ΚουραμπιέδεςDesserts · 52m · serves 30Cypriot flaounes cheese pastries with a golden sesame-topped crustCypriot Easter Cheese PastriesFlaounes ΦλαούνεςBreads and Pies · 2h 5m · serves 16A golden braided Greek tsoureki Easter bread with a red egg tucked inTsourekiTsoureki ΤσουρέκιBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 12Twisted golden Greek koulourakia Easter cookies on a baking trayKoulourakiaKoulourakia ΚουλουράκιαDesserts · 1h · serves 30A golden Greek vasilopita New Year cake dusted with icing sugarNew Year Cake with the Hidden CoinVasilopita ΒασιλόπιταDesserts · 1h 10m · serves 12Golden Cretan kalitsounia cheese hand pies drizzled with honeyCretan Sweet Cheese Hand PiesKalitsounia ΚαλιτσούνιαDesserts · 1h 10m · serves 8Cretan Wedding PilafGamopilafo ΓαμοπίλαφοMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 8Thessaloniki giaourtlou kebab with tomato sauce and garlic yogurtThessaloniki Kebab with Yogurt and TomatoGiaourtlou ΓιαουρτλούMain Courses · 45m · serves 4A bowl of Greek trahanas soup, thick and rusticTrahanas SoupSoupa trahana Σούπα τραχανάSoups · 30m · serves 4Kefalonia kreatopita meat pie in golden phyllo, slicedKefalonia Spiced Meat PieKefalonitiki kreatopita Κεφαλονίτικη κρεατόπιταBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 8Greek papoutsakia stuffed aubergine boats topped with golden bechamelStuffed Aubergine "Little Shoes"Papoutsakia ΠαπουτσάκιαMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 6A sliced Greek yiaourtopita yogurt cake dusted with icing sugarYogurt CakeYiaourtopita ΓιαουρτόπιταDesserts · 1h · serves 10Golden Greek frigania fried bread slices drizzled with honeyFried Bread with HoneyFriganya ΦρυγανιάBreakfast Recipes · 22m · serves 4A slice of Epirus tyropita cheese pie showing a thick custardy fillingEpirus Hand-Rolled Cheese PieTyropita Ipirou Τυρόπιτα ΗπείρουBreads and Pies · 1h 45m · serves 8Pontic Greek manti dumplings served under garlic yogurt saucePontic Greek Dumplings in Yogurt and GarlicManti pontiako Μαντί ποντιακόMain Courses · 1h 50m · serves 6Fried aubergine slices topped with garlic yogurt and paprika butterAubergine in Yogurt SauceMelitzanes se saltsa giaourtiou Μελιτζάνες σε σάλτσα γιαουρτιούMain Courses · 55m · serves 4A tray of golden Greek tiropitakia trigona cheese triangle pastriesCheese Triangle PastriesTiropitakia trigona Τυροπιτάκια τρίγωναMeze and Appetisers · 1h 10m · serves 8A slice of Greek milopita apple phyllo pie showing layered crisp pastryApple Pie in PhylloMilopita ΜηλόπιταDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10A slice of Greek kotopita chicken pie showing layered phyllo and fillingChicken Pie in PhylloKotopita ΚοτόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 8Corfu Easter Sweet BreadFogatsa Kerkyras Φογάτσα ΚέρκυραςBreads and Pies · 1h 40m · serves 12Rhodes Sesame Ring CookiesKoulourakia Rodou Κουλουράκια ΡόδουDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 10A tray of Greek halvas simigdalenios semolina halva with cinnamon and walnutsSemolina HalvaHalvas simigdalenios Χαλβάς σιμιγδαλένιοςDesserts · 40m · serves 10A slice of Greek ravani semolina syrup cake dusted with coconutSemolina Syrup CakeRavani ΡαβανίDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12Minced Meat Phyllo TrianglesBourekakia me kima Μπουρεκάκια με κιμάMeze and Appetisers · 1h 20m · serves 8Plain Greek Rice PilafRizi pilafi Ρύζι πιλάφιSide Dishes · 25m · serves 4A slice of Greek galatopita custard pie dusted with cinnamonCustard Pie Without PhylloGalatopita ΓαλατόπιταDesserts · 1h · serves 8A pot of Pontic Greek keskek wheat and meat porridgePontic Greek Wheat and Meat PorridgeKeskek ΚεσκέκMain Courses · 4h 30m · serves 8

More dairy and cheese

FetaHalloumiGreek YogurtGravieraAnariAnthotyroKasseriKefalotyriManouriMetsovoneMilkMizithra